


Wildfire

by Nary



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - Fandom, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game), Thirteen (game)
Genre: Bars and Pubs, Beards (Facial Hair), Cunnilingus, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Gender Roles, Half-Elf/Human Relationship(s), Half-Elves, Protective Siblings, Undressing, Woman on Top
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 09:43:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10088108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: "There are a great number of problems with..."  Problems with what? Pursuing a relationship with him?  With the entire world going horribly awry?  "... with my current situation," she finished instead, because she figured that was general enough.  "And I don't want to drag you into them.""I'm quite willing to be dragged," he said, "if it means a chance to spend more time with you, Joanna."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Man's best friends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10100237) by [Measured_Words](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured_Words/pseuds/Measured_Words). 



Joanna could understand her brother's worries. The day before she had nearly died after being attacked by the spirit invoked by Diogo Abrantes through his mad killings. Even though they thought the threat was now over, and Abrantes safely neutralized, Kahonstionekha remained anxious. And with good reason - they could be wrong about the creature being gone. It could reappear anytime, and there would be little they could do to defend against it. Her brother stayed close to her, as though he could protect her if the beast should leap out from the shadows again. Privately, Joanna suspected that if it did so, they would both die - they had barely been able to hurt it before. But saying that to Kahon would only make him more upset.

Instead, she had sat up with her brother until late at night, trying to reassure him as best as she could. It was difficult - there was little that was reassuring about the world these days, and trying to find something hopeful to hold on to seemed impossible. Her presence seemed to provide some slight comfort to him, though, for at least while they were together he could see with his own eyes that she was alive. 

Even when she grew so weary that she was all but falling asleep where she sat, Kahon was clearly reluctant to leave her side. He didn't need sleep in the same way she did, but she suspected that what he really wanted was to keep watch over her. "Will you stay while I rest?" she asked him, and he agreed with an obvious relief. Joanna didn't sleep well that night, despite her exhaustion, and every time she started awake at some distant noise or troubled dream, she felt a little safer to see Kahon sitting nearby in meditation.

Her brother stuck close to her the following day as well, even as she tried to go about her business - dealing with the coroner to ensure that the last victim's body was correctly retrieved and handled, providing a few coins to Master Gunderson for damage they'd done to his window, sending word that it was now safe for Paixao to return to the city. By dinner, she was exhausted - not only by her work but by Kahon's constant presence. She never begrudged her brother whatever she could spare of her time and attention, but he was being unusually overprotective - even a bit clingy, as though the minute she walked out of his sight, she was likely to be killed.

She thought back to Major Harden's offer of a drink - the one she had refused just a few days earlier. Maybe, she thought, Kahon would accept her going out for a little while if she had company, particularly a companion who was a competent fighter if anything should go wrong. When she raised the idea, Kahon frowned, clearly not happy with her plan. But after more reassurances on her part, including a promise that she wouldn't walk home alone, he agreed. It wasn't like Kahon to be overly concerned with which gentlemen his sister chose to spend time with, so she could only assume it was lingering worry over the attack that was making him act this way. He even insisted on walking with her to Major Harden's ship, and staying at the wharf to make sure she got on board safely, although there was a pair of soldiers stationed there with the ship's boat to row her out to where it lay at anchor. She turned back and waved to Kahon once she was settled in the rowboat, letting him know she would be fine, hoping that he would be as well.

Major Harden welcomed her warmly when she reached the ship. "How can I be of service, Mistress Tekeniehnita?" 

Joanna had given some thought to how best to broach this question. "I found, on further reflection, that I would like to accept your invitation to join you for a drink. That is, if it isn't too late to change my answer to yes." 

"Not at all," he said, smiling. "In fact, I had been planning to make the offer again the next time we saw one another. And the next time as well, until you told me to stop asking. So you've saved me the trouble."

"I hope it isn't troublesome," Joanna replied. He was persistent, and more forward than would be considered entirely proper, but at the moment she didn't mind that. 

"Well, we will need to go back to shore in order to find a suitable tavern," he said. "Unless you would prefer to save time by joining me in my cabin instead."

"A tavern will be fine," Joanna said sternly. She did have some lingering qualms about this assignation, which would only be made worse by knowing there was an entire ship's crew within earshot. Besides, she told herself, if they went to a tavern she would be better able to make her excuses and leave if she changed her mind.

"Certainly, my lady." Major Harden helped her back into the boat. Joanna bit back the urge to tell him that she wasn't his lady - she had spent so long keeping prospective suitors at arm's length that letting one get a little closer was challenging. If the men objected to rowing them back to the wharf so soon after her arrival, they didn't grumble about it. And Joanna was relieved to see that by the time they were back on dry land, Kahonstionekha had left, so she wasn't confronted with the awkward moment of having to explain to her brother where she was going, and that he should not wait up for her return.

"Where would you like to go?" Major Harden asked. 

Joanna's exposure to the inns and taverns of Porto Bispo had mostly involved examining grisly murder scenes, avoiding riots, and being attacked by vengeance spirits, so she shrugged. "Somewhere quiet and out of the way."

"I think I know just the place," he said, offering her his arm. A short walk later, they arrived at a building bearing the sign of the moon and star. It seemed clean, Joanna noted as they walked inside, and wasn't overly crowded - perhaps it was out of the price range of the sailors who made up a large part of the audience for the port city's various venues. 

The woman at the bar nodded politely to them, looking to Joanna for some indication of what they wanted. Joanna gestured to a booth in an out of the way corner. "Could you bring us a bottle of red wine?" 

"Something Charinisian," Major Harden added. Joanna smiled slightly. The local wines were adequate, and had been improving, she thought, but an import from Pontemagua or Gaulle would be much higher quality - and correspondingly more expensive. She wasn't sure if he was trying to impress her, or if he simply had more refined taste in wine than she did. Either way, it would be a pleasant treat.

They settled into their seats, and once the wine arrived, Joanna poured them each a cup. It was excellent, and she felt a little bit of the lingering tension drain away. Major Harden didn't seem to feel obliged to keep up a constant stream of chatter either, which was a relief - she wasn't sure if she would be a good conversational partner right now. She wasn't sure she would be a good partner for anything, as a matter of fact, but maybe the wine would help with that...

"May I ask you a question?" 

Joanna looked up from her wine. "Of course, Major Harden."

"Achan is fine," he said. "I was wondering what changed your mind about having this drink with me." 

"Oh," Joanna said, momentarily caught off guard. "Well, I thought that perhaps I had been... overly harsh in my earlier dismissal. I wasn't expecting the invitation, and... if I may be honest with you?"

He smiled again, in a way that made her feel like she wasn't quite on steady ground. "I wouldn't wish it any other way."

Joanna nodded, trying to compose her thoughts before continuing. "I devote myself to my work, Maj- ...Achan. It's simpler if I don't allow myself... distractions." That wasn't quite the entire truth, though, and she wanted to be truthful with him, at least as much as she could. "There are a great number of problems with..." Problems with what? Pursuing a relationship with him? With the entire world going horribly awry? "... with my current situation," she finished instead, because she figured that was general enough. "And I don't want to drag you into them."

"I'm quite willing to be dragged," he said, "if it means a chance to spend more time with you, Joanna." He reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"You aren't worried about your reputation?" she asked, smiling a little at his boldness. "People will talk if we're seen together."

"Well, I don't think the locals here are likely to get word back to Victoria about us." He took a sip of his drink. "Besides, I've long since given up on being considered 'suitable' or 'proper.' So if they talk, it won't be any worse than anything else they've already decided about me."

Joanna nodded, growing more serious. "It isn't only that, though. Damage to one's respectability is one thing, but some of the problems I'm dealing with could be dangerous in other ways as well." She saw that he didn't fully understand - he was a soldier, after all, he was accustomed to certain sorts of danger - so she continued. "You'll probably think I'm mad, but there are evils in this land greater than we can comprehend. Some people - like Diogo Abrantes - think they can control these forces, or make bargains with them, or... or choose to consort with them to further their own ends, and others are drawn into their circles by misfortune or poor judgment or accidents of birth. But each instance I uncover leads me to another, and another, until it seems like there is nothing left untouched by this corruption..." She realized she had taken her hand out of his grasp and was clutching her cup tightly instead. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't mean to alarm you. But if you want to be with me you ought to have an idea what I'm caught up in."

Achan frowned. "Joanna, I won't pretend to understand what all of this means. But I do want to be with you - whatever that might involve. I'm willing to fight if necessary."

"You don't know enough about it to make that choice," Joanna protested. She felt a surge of frustration, trying to make him see that this was more complicated than he assumed. "You can't necessarily solve these problems with a sword and pistol."

"That's not what I mean," he said. "Well, it is, if that's what it takes. But I also meant that it sounds like you're trying to scare me off. I don't frighten that easily."

"You wouldn't say that if you'd seen some of the things I have," Joanna said under her breath. But maybe he was right, to some extent. Maybe she was using these fears as an excuse to push him away. 

"So tell me about them." Achan reached out again, gently prying her fingers away from the pewter cup so that he could once again hold her hand. 

Joanna knew that she should. But she also knew that if she kept on talking about it, she would very likely drive Achan away, and herself into a spiral of despair. "If this goes beyond tonight, I promise I will," she said instead, raising his hand to her lips so she could kiss it. "For now, I just want to not think about all of this for a little while."

"I believe I could assist you with that," he said, smiling.

The tavern had four small rooms upstairs that were available for travelers to rent by the night. The innkeeper took a few coins as her fee, and provided Joanna with the key to one of them and a candle to light the way without batting an eyelash. Still, Joanna felt embarrassed even though no one here knew her or seemed to care about her choice of companion for the evening - something about paying for a bedroom seemed more sordid than she was accustomed to. She tried to push those feelings aside as best as she could, climbing the stairs and opening the door to the second room on the left. Achan followed her, bringing their empty cups and the remainder of the wine.

The chamber was neat and simple, with a small table and chair, a carpet that was worn but still clean, and a bed against the wall with a chest at its foot. Joanna set the candle down on the table, and Achan placed the wine next to it. With their hands freed, they wasted little time in embracing one another, Joanna reaching out and Achan quickly closing the gap between them. Kissing him felt odd at first - it had been several years since Joanna had kissed anyone other than as a greeting between friends, and she had never kissed a man with a beard before. It tickled and she drew back slightly, surprised and flustered.

"Too fast?" Achan asked, still holding her close, his arms around her waist. 

"No," Joanna told him, stroking his cheek. "It's not that, please keep going. I just haven't done this for a while." Three years, although she didn't need to tell him that - since her brother's wedding. "And never with a human," she added, smiling shyly.

"Oh," he said, his eyes widening. "Is it that different?"

Joanna chuckled. "I don't know yet." She had the impression that he wanted to ask more, but decided against it. Sensible of him, she thought - she wasn't about to delve into his past, inquiring about who had taught him how to remove a woman's gown as he was now doing with hers, who before her had succumbed to his handsome looks and bold advances. There had to have been someone - perhaps many someones - but she had no interest in who they had been, especially not once he kissed her again. It felt less strange this time, and she leaned into it instead of pulling away.

He pushed open her jacket and she let it fall to the floor, leaving her arms bare. Joanna shivered, not from cold (it was in fact quite warm in the small chamber) but from the sensation of his hands against her skin for the first time. They were hard and callused, but not rough. She untied the knot that held her skirts up and let them drop as well, leaving her in her stays and shift. She stepped out of the pile of crumpled wool and linen, and Achan took a step back to help her, leading them closer to the bed. 

Joanna fumbled slightly with the buttons of his coat - there seemed to be a hundred of them, brass polished to a brilliant shine. "It would be much simpler," she pointed out as she worked them open, "if you just wore a loincloth. Not all this fuss."

"I'm not sure how the troops would feel about that," he said with a smile. "But if you'd prefer it, I can wear whatever you'd like around the house."

Joanna gave him a stern look, but couldn't bring herself to reprimand him too much for his presumptuousness. "I haven't invited you to my house yet," she pointed out instead, as she reached up to let her hair down from its bun, uncoiling the braid until it fell to her waist. She didn't loosen it further, though, knowing from experience that although it might look pretty when it was down, it would only get in the way during what would happen next.

Achan hung his coat over the back of the chair and moved behind her, pushing her braid aside so that he could kiss the back of her neck. "No, not yet," he murmured. Joanna leaned back against him, closing her eyes and letting the sensations wash over her. She could feel his arousal, and the warmth of his breath on her skin, and her heart beat faster in response.

He slid his hands up her body to cup her breasts, at least as well as he could over the stiff fabric of her stays. Joanna was suddenly overcome with an urge to cast aside all of this ridiculous constraining clothing - she felt as though she couldn't bear to have anything, even a layer of fine linen, keeping them apart. If there had been a stove or a hearth nearby she might have been tempted to burn it all, but as it was, short of conjuring flames, she would have to confine herself to tossing them aside. She hurried to complete the process of disrobing, tugging at the laces of her stays sharply enough that one of them broke. That helped speed their removal, although it would make getting dressed again later more complicated, and she cast them onto the pile of discarded clothing. Achan helped draw her shift off over her head, and she turned to face him once she was finally naked.

Achan took a long look at her, drinking in the sight. "You're beautiful," he told her. 

"That's sweet of you to say," Joanna replied briskly. "Now please get the rest of your clothes off before I tear them off you." 

He chuckled a little nervously at that, as though not entirely sure whether to believe her or not, but he obliged by hastening through the remainder of his undressing. Joanna helped where she could, but mostly left it in his hands, feeling like with her inadequate knowledge of how his uniform all fit together she would be more of a hindrance than anything. Instead she stepped over to the table and poured herself another cup of wine while she watched him disrobe, which was an enjoyable sight, if a bit puzzling at times. For instance, she knew that humans from Charinisian backgrounds had more hair on their bodies - she remembered her father, after all, how his arms were covered in hair when he picked her up as a little girl - but it still looked odd to her. Not unappealing, just different. But Achan was strong, well-built, and very clearly excited to be here with her, and for that she could overlook a lot.

"Is this to your liking?" he asked, prompting her to realize she had been staring and take a sip of her wine to cover her embarrassment. He already knew he was handsome, so why did he need to hear it from her? 

"Very nice," she said. She was sure she was blushing, but hoped it might not show in the dim light. She knew that he would expect her to be in control, and at the moment she felt anything but. It was as if the earth itself was tilting under her feet, and her emotions were no longer her own, but belonged to someone else. 

Achan stepped closer, taking the cup from her hand and having a sip himself. "Joanna," he said, offering it back to her, "it's all right. Whatever is bothering you... you can leave it behind for tonight. I'll take care of you." He drew her near to him, stroking her back, and for a moment Joanna thought she might wind up crying on his shoulder instead of riding him until they both collapsed. It was foolish to think that he could take care of her - he would be just as helpless as any of them in the face of the monstrosities she knew were out there. But she was willing to let herself believe, just for a little while, that he could do what he promised.

"If you're going to take care of me, I have some ideas of how you could start," she said, taking one last swallow of wine and setting the cup aside with an unsteady smile. She led him over to the bed and perched on the edge of the frame, legs apart. Achan didn't need to be told what to do from there, eagerly dropping to his knees and burying his face between her thighs. Joanna gasped, bracing her feet firmly to keep from sliding off the bed as she leaned back to give him better access. His beard prickled against her sensitive skin, but she didn't care anymore. Instead she tangled her fingers in his hair, urging him to keep going as his tongue worked its magic. He grasped her hips to steady her, glancing up at her with a look that said he knew exactly what effect he was having on her. Joanna moaned - it had been too long since she'd felt this way, and her body responded swiftly to his skillful attention. Within a few more moments she felt an irresistible wave rising up within her, overtaking her and leaving her drenched and shuddering with the force of its power. 

"Enough," she gasped at last, pushing his head away. He sat back on his heels, looking rather endearingly proud of himself as Joanna flopped back onto the bed, legs still quivering. "Come up here," she told him once she'd recovered her breath, and Achan obliged by sliding into the bed next to her. The pillows were filled with soft down, and the mattress was firm but well-cushioned - straw with a thick layer of mammoth fur for comfort. As it was already warm in the chamber they pushed the bed linens off to the side. 

Achan lay stretched out alongside her, his hand resting lightly on her breast. Joanna was sure he was impatient for more, but he didn't try to hurry her, which she appreciated. The thought occurred to her that she didn't know what he would expect concerning sexual positions - it wasn't a subject she'd had occasion to discuss with her Senecomacan friends, oddly enough, and perhaps it was different than what a man of the Atenrosera might find usual or comfortable. "I hope you won't mind if I get on top and ride you," she said cautiously, turning to look at him.

"Mind? Joanna, I would be..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Honoured? Delighted? Overjoyed?" He nuzzled her shoulder and she gave him a playful kiss in response. "I've been longing for this ever since I first met you," he told her more seriously. "However you want to do it will be wonderful."

"Good," Joanna said, turning to roll on top of him. His manhood pressed against her, pinned down but still giving eager twitches that made her impatient for more. Without wasting further time, she reached down to guide it inside her. He moved beneath her to help, and slid into her easily - she was readier for this than she had thought. The way he filled her made her gasp, so sudden and invasive, but also right and natural and even comforting. It wasn't that she had felt incomplete before, but that she had allowed herself to become cut off from these desires of the body in a way that was unhealthy. Now she rocked her hips slowly, the sensations reminding her of things she had almost forgotten, of the possibility of happiness and pleasure in this world, even if it was fleeting. 

Achan was not about to let her lose herself in such reveries for long, though. He was not the type of man who would lie there passively while she took what she needed from him. Instead he kissed her, more hungrily than ever, and began to buck his hips to match her motions. Joanna moaned aloud, sitting up to allow herself more freedom to move, to respond to him. 

He ran one hand up her stomach, sliding between her breasts, making her shiver - it had been only short days before that her chest had been torn open by the spirit's claws, and although her wounds were now healed, the sensation was still an uncomfortable reminder. She took his hand and drew it to her breast instead, encouraging him to touch her in other ways. 

She had no idea how long to expect this to last - whether it would be over quickly, or continue long enough for her to reach another peak. What was typical for human men? Or typical for this particular man - which might not even matter, if he had been craving this for as long as he claimed. Taking advantage of it while it lasted, she reached down to rub herself as she rode him, feeling the slick wetness that had spread from between her thighs, helping to stir the flames back to a renewed heat. Combined with the way he was pinching and stroking her nipple, she knew it wouldn't take long. "Keep going," she pleaded, "more!"

Achan obliged her wishes by arching up sharply beneath her, burying himself within her completely with each stroke. Joanna cried out, steadying herself as best as she could against one of the bedposts, no longer caring if he threw her off balance as long as he kept giving her what she so badly needed. She gripped him tight as she came again, a deeper, more all-encompassing orgasm than her first, that blazed through her entire body like wildfire, until she was consumed and made ready for new growth.

When she could calm her trembling, she opened her eyes and looked down, able to focus on Achan once again. He had held her throughout the heat of her climax, not rushing past it to reach his own enjoyment but patiently allowing it to take its course. His eyes were fixed on her, although she didn't know how much he was able to see in the dim light. "Joanna," he whispered, "that was incredible..."

Brushing a few loose strands of hair back from her face where they were stuck with sweat, Joanna smiled. "You've been very helpful. I feel like I ought to return the favour."

Achan nodded, with a sharp little exhalation of breath that wasn't quite a laugh. "Please! I'm not sure how I've managed to hold on this long..."

"I've always thought," Joanna said, beginning to move her hips again, more slowly this time, "that men were quite unfortunate, being done after a single time. But I'll try to make sure you enjoy it anyway, despite your disadvantages."

He did laugh at that, but it turned swiftly into a groan as she put her hands on his chest and stroked his nipples. "Who said," he managed between rasping breaths, "that I'd be done after this?"

Joanna grinned at his boast. "We'll see," was all she said. Then there was very little conversation, other than in sounds and movements and flickering glances that conveyed all they required. Achan rolled them both over so that he could be on top, pushing into her more freely, which made Joanna gasp with surprise. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into her, dragging him down for another kiss. He gave a few more rough strokes, hard enough to make her hips ache with the pounding. When he finally came, he was almost silent, giving only a hushed, awestruck moan - but his sudden shudder and the hot rush of his seed told Joanna all she needed to know. 

She drew him down to rest his head on her shoulder, stroking his back, which was damp with sweat. He lay there for some time, panting for breath. Neither disturbed the other's peace with unnecessary talk. Joanna began to wonder, in fact, whether he might fall asleep there, and if so, how she would get out from beneath him without waking him. Eventually, however, he lifted himself off so that they lay side by side instead, but kept his arm draped across her waist.

The night air, which had previously felt so warm, now started growing cool on Joanna's bare skin. She dragged one of the blankets over and Achan helped pull it across them both. "I thought you said you weren't done," she said gently, stroking his hair as they nestled close.

"I'm not done," he told her. "I'm just resting for a little while. You _are_ staying the night, aren't you?"

Joanna's thoughts flew for a moment to her brother - he would worry if she didn't return. But the thought of moving seemed almost impossible, and she told herself that Kahonstionekha would be all right for a few more hours. "I will tonight," she agreed. For now, that was as much as she could bring herself to acknowledge aloud. But her heart told her it would not be the only time.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


End file.
